How to Make Money Crocheting (5 Ways!)
If you’re wondering how to make money crocheting, and whether or not it’s possible to work from home, the answer is yes! You can absolutely work from home, do your favorite hobby and earn a decent income from it. I know this to be true because I have done it.
In this article I’m going to explain the five ways that I earn money crocheting. I will even show you proof of my income!
I Love My Job!
I love my job! To me, time is the most valuable resource. I have never liked the idea of trading my time for money from an employer. I decided a few years ago that I was going to use my talent and my time to invest in myself.
What is Passive Income?
Passive income is income that you earn in a way that requires little to no daily effort to maintain.
My goal was to build something that will generate passive income for my family for many years to come. I can work when I want to, where I want and how often I want to. With three kids, the flexibility of being self-employed is invaluable to me.
If you know how to crochet, are a hard worker and have access to a computer, wifi and camera, you can do this!
How I Started My Blog
In 2018, I decided to start a crochet blog where I share my free crochet patterns. I’m not good at writing. I don’t know any coding. My degrees are in business administration and elementary education. My business degree has helped me but “YouTube University” is really where I learned everything I needed to get started.
Go To “YouTube University”
I would crochet while listening to YouTubers teach me how to build a blog, step by step. I didn’t take any courses but if I were to start all over, knowing what I know now, I would. I have no doubt that I would have saved myself a ton of time and tears. The YouTube channel that I found to be most valuable and trustworthy is The Income School.
#1. Display Ads
What is Mediavine?
I generate passive income by displaying ads on my crochet blog. I’m currently using Mediavine. In the beginning, you won’t have enough traffic to qualify for a premium ad network like Mediavine. They currently require a minimum of 50,000 sessions per month. When you are first starting out, just focus on providing helpful/quality content. Before I qualified for Mediavine, I used Google Adsense. I would use whomever Jim & Ricky from The Income School are recommending for newer small blogs.
How I get Paid
Mediavine pays on a NET 65 basis. This means 65 days from the end of the month that money was earned. Payments are made on the 5th of the month. If the 5th falls on a weekend, payments will be made on the closest business day. So, for example, the money that I earned in January this year was sent straight to my bank account on April 5th.
Something to Consider
Something to consider if you decide to use Google Adsense: Google is the largest search engine out there. YouTube is the second largest search engine and it is owned by Google. It is very important that you remain in good standing with Google Adsense or you may hurt your chances of ever working with a premium ad network or monetizing a YouTube channel.
You Have Options
Although I have been very happy with Mediavine, it isn’t the only premium ad network. Do your research and make the best choice for your blog. Again, I would defer you to Jim & Ricky for help in making this decision.
#2. Etsy
What is Etsy?
If you have never heard of Etsy, they are an e-commerce website focused on handmade or vintage items and craft supplies. I love Etsy! I love shopping on Etsy and I love being an Etsy seller.
Sell Digital Patterns
Before I started my blog, I sold crochet items on Etsy. I made a fair amount of money doing this but it was very time consuming. Now, I only sell digital patterns. It’s so easy!
How Does it Work?
This is also a passive income source. When someone purchases a pattern they receive an automated email with a download link. I don’t have to do anything else aside from answer the occasional question.
Will People Buy my Patterns?
Although I offer all of my patterns for free on my blog, you’d be surprised at how many people prefer to pay for an ad-free version that they can print.
How I Get Paid
Etsy takes out their fees and taxes, and then sends your remaining balance straight to your bank account every Monday afternoon.
Check out my blog post titled: 7 Crochet Items to Sell on Etsy
#3. YouTube
Crochet is Evergreen!
Having a YouTube channel to go along with a crochet blog is a great idea. Crochet content is Evergreen (timeless) content. The way we crochet today will be the way we crochet a hundred years from now. This makes a YouTube channel another potential long term investment in yourself. Plus, you can link from your blog to your channel and vice versa.
Yes, it’s Passive Income!
I haven’t uploaded a video to my YouTube channel in over a year and yet I still gain new subscribers and generate passive income everyday. Once the COVID pandemic is over and my kids are all back in school, I will begin filming tutorials again. I think it’s worth the time investment.
How to Monetize
You need to have 1,000 subscribers
Your videos must have generated 4,000 Watch Time hours over the last 12 months
You must be in compliance with all of YouTube’s policies and guidelines
You will need to have a linked Adsense account
How I get Paid
Like I mentioned earlier, YouTube is owned by Google. Therefore, the only way to monetize a YouTube channel with ads is through Adsense. The Adsense payment cycle is monthly. So long as you meet the $100 minimum threshold, your earnings will be sent straight to your bank account. If you have a month where you make less than $100 they will hold your earnings until you reach the minimum threshold.
Other Ways to Monetize
There are other ways to monetize a YouTube channel aside from ads. Once you have built a following and are considered to be an “influencer”, you can work with brands to include paid product placements or endorsements as part of your content. Make sure you familiarize yourself and comply with YouTube’s advertising policies.
I also include clickable affiliate links in my YouTube video descriptions. More about affiliate marketing coming up next.
#4. Affiliates
What is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is the process by which an affiliate (you) earns a commission for marketing another person’s or company’s products. This is another form of passive income.
Amazon Affiliate Links
I am an Amazon Affiliate. When I post a crochet pattern on my blog, I provide a list of materials that I recommend using. I use affiliate links to link to those materials on Amazon. If someone clicks the link and purchases anything within 24 hours, I make a small commission on everything they purchased, provided they don’t leave Amazon and then return through another person’s affiliate link.
How I get Paid
Your commission income is sent directly to your bank account approximately 60 days after the end of the month for which you are being paid. For example, January earnings are sent to your bank account in late March.
Other Affiliates
I was also accepted into RewardStyle and Grow Now provided me with an affiliate link. I haven’t had the time to do much with either of them yet. Many companies offer affiliate programs so don’t be afraid to reach out and ask to apply.
#5. Freelance Designing
I’m a Freelance Designer
My fifth source of crochet income comes from freelance designing. I have written patterns for Crochet World Magazine and Lion Brand Yarns. This is not passive income. You are paid once and relinquish ownership of the design. There are other benefits to freelancing though. You gain exposure and it helps solidify your reputation as a crochet designer. For me, it really helped my self confidence.
Reach out to Magazines
Reach out to various crochet magazines and asked to be placed on their designer call out emails. I don’t know if all magazines work the same way but Crochet World will send designer call outs asking for specific types of submissions (ex: Christmas decor). You send your submission (via email!) by a certain date and then they will let you know if your design has been accepted.
Don’t be Intimidated!
Don’t be intimidated at the thought of submitting your designs. The first time I submitted a design to a magazine was in June of 2020. I submitted four crochet design proposals to Crochet World and three of them were accepted to be featured in their special newsstand edition titled Crochet Home (spring 2021).
The second time I answered a designer call out was in December 2020. I submitted two crochet designs and one of them was chosen for A Very Merry Crochet Christmas issue of Crochet World that will be available later in 2021.
My experience with Lion Brand Yarns was slightly different. I had a contact in the company who kindly put me in touch with their design assistant. I was asked to design a specific type of blanket. I shared two design ideas and they chose one of them. I can’t share any more details because the pattern hasn’t been released yet. It will be available on their website soon. I can’t wait to see it!
My Motto: Make it Happen
I believe that you have to create your own opportunities in life. My husband jokes that “make it happen” should go on my gravestone. Don’t be scared to reach out and ask to be placed on designer call out lists. And don’t be shy about submitting your designs! I am okay with hearing “no” a hundred times if it means I will eventually hear “yes” once. The crochet community is very kind and welcoming. I am so glad that I first picked up that crochet hook a few years ago and started on this journey. I am excited to see what the future holds for me and my small business.
You Want to See Proof?
Okay, now that I’ve shared all of that, I know what you’re thinking. You want proof that money can be made. A few things to help you understand the information I’m going to share with you.
What does “RPM” stand for?
RPM stands for “revenue per mille”. It is the estimated revenue you make for every 1,000 sessions (visitors to your blog) received.
Advertiser Spending
Advertisers break the year into four quarters. Quarter 1 is comprised of January, February & March. Quarter 2 is comprised of April, May & June. Quarter 3 is comprised of July, August & September. Quarter 4 is comprised of October, November & December.
Quarter 4 Rocks!
Typically, advertisers allocate a huge portion of their ad budget for quarter 4 during the holiday season. This is why you will notice higher RPMs during this time.
Quarter 1 can be a Bummer!
Ad spending tends to decrease significantly in quarter 1.
To sum it up, Quarter 4 is awesome for most bloggers. Quarter 1, not so much.
In this blog post I’m only sharing screen shots from my Mediavine income. That is because it is the bulk of my income. I’ll be working on Blogger Income Reports where I will go into more detail about my traffic, traffic sources and exact income amounts from each source.
Quarter 4 2020
Total Income: $2,778.30
Income from Display Ads: $1,283.04
Total Income: $2,901.92
Income from Display Ads: $2,189.62
Total Income: $3,671.38
Income from Display Ads: $2,834.54
Quarter 1 2021
Total Income: $3,081.57
Income from Display Ads: $1,522.15
Total Income: $1,628.02
Income from Display Ads: $932.94
Total Income: $1,641.81
Income from Display Ads: $815.11
